THE VALIDATION OF A TIME-EFFICIENT MEASURE FOR ASSESSING CHILDREN’S SOCIAL ISOLATION AT SCHOOL

The classroom can be considered one the most important socialization contexts for children in western cultures and being isolated in this setting corresponds to have very limited social contacts with other peers. Unfortunately, it is widely acknowledged that this isolation can have a significant impact on children’s well-being and adjustment to the school environment. The present study reports the validation of the revision of a brief and time-efficient self-report measure, the Classmates Social Isolation Questionnaire for children (CSIQ-C). The CSIQ-C is a questionnaire for children which assesses social isolation from classmates in terms of absence of peer acceptance as well as in terms of absence of friendships. Data was based on a nationally representative sample of Italian fifth grade students. Through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, the structure of the scale was investigated. Results show that the revision of CSIQ-C showed measurement invariance both across gender and across groups with different immigrant backgrounds. Various tests of criterion and construct validity showed positive results. Therefore, the CSIQ-C appears to be a valid and time-efficient instrument that can make a contribution to the study of social isolation and school adjustment with specific reference to the group of classmates.